Women Must Not Put Their Health On Back Burner: Entrepreneur Nirmala Menon

With years of work experience behind her, Nirmala Menon had always intended to quit the workplace to raise her daughter. What she had not anticipated was how hard it would be to get back in.

"The reality was different. In the late 90s, a gap of six years was too huge for anyone to take a chance on me. It was around this time that I was picked by IBM to be a part of their global DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) team. This was the first time I began to engage deeply on the topic besides allowing me to travel to different countries to facilitate and embed the organisation's philosophy," she says. Her learning over the years inspired her to unlock a new horizon and that's how her company Interweave Consulting was born.

In an interview with SheThePeople, Nirmala Menon looks back at her career in corporate, her entrepreneurial journey, facing biases as a woman, and why she prioritises initiatives for diversity and inclusivity at workplaces.

Nirmala Menon Interview

You’ve worked in the corporate for more than three decades. How did you deal with challenges and biases as a woman?

I started my career in an oil company in the early 80s, which as you can imagine, was very male-dominated. It was a time when women did not get the type of support and encouragement one sees today combined with more gender role expectations. Women were considered as not serious contenders for a career. I was lucky that I had good mentors at the beginning of my career, and was mostly insulated from any blatant discrimination.

However, one had to deal with a host of sexist comments, work harder and fight for opportunities and "prove" commitment at every stage - a burden that men didn’t carry as much. It of course was most obvious when I took a break to have my daughter and wanted to get back to my career.

A lot of this has changed since, and I see a lot more women with a seat at the table in leadership roles.

What were the primary challenges you faced in your entrepreneurial journey?

I think I had both external and personal challenges in my entrepreneurial journey. Externally, the market was not ready for DEI. Organisations didn’t see the need for it and would have a “why fix something that isn’t broken” lens on implementing DEI policies, so “selling” to senior leaders was an uphill task. Given how nascent DEI was in India, I was sometimes perceived as a “women’s activist” rather than a DEI professional.

On the personal side, having left a successful corporate job at 47 to start my own company, I did have imposter syndrome on whether I could be a successful entrepreneur - largely also because it was a new space and it meant creating a new market for something that was a rich but equally complex concept that was yet to register in management lingo.

As a representative in the informal international advisory group of the UN Global Compact and the UNIFEM, what kind of initiatives did you lead for inclusion and diversity?

It was an international group of participants that frequently met to pull out threads that we believed were important to be addressed for gender parity and empowerment of women across the globe. I represented India on this advisory committee. The participation of women from across the world helped to bring in unique challenges of different countries and allowed space for them to be discussed and taken on board as appropriate. We then deliberated to consolidate all the information to be the final framing of the Women's Empowerment Principles so it addressed all issues in some form or the other.

Drawing from your experience as a certified coach, how important do you think mentorship is for women in India and how can we promote this?

Mentorship and coaching are critical for everyone - men and women. Often women and men need to be understood and coached differently, as we tend to be subjected to different social privileges and expectations which creep into organisational contexts.

Women especially have a lot to gain from mentorship especially when it comes to negotiating, speaking up, or navigating the subtly patriarchal structures and self-limiting beliefs that continue to seep into organisations today.

How do you think the Indian market can empower more women in leadership positions?

The most important way to empower women in leadership roles is to take a chance on them. When I entered the workplace, most of the leadership positions were taken by men, so as a young woman on the job, it was hard to envision what success would look like. Representation of women in leadership is crucial to continuing the cycle.

Women in leadership roles might also need to be set up for success in a different way - be it specialised training, mentorship, or access to non-traditional work arrangements. Achieving pay parity is also crucial to empowering women in the workplace, particularly in leadership positions where the gap gets more dramatic.

As someone who runs a Human resources organisation, have you witnessed the gender gap being minimised concerning women making their investments?

Economic independence is not just about earning your own money; it is also about having full control over it. I certainly see more ">women making their own financial decisions - both for investments and also in their lifestyle choices.

The increase in financial freedom among women has not kept up with the financial literacy among them - and while the gap is closing, men in India continue to be the primary decision-makers when it comes to financial investments.

From when you started to now, what are the changes you’ve encountered when we talk about women getting equal opportunities and rising the corporate ladder across industries?

It has changed in multiple ways for the better. From lack of basic physical infrastructure like washrooms for women to poor enabling policies and investment in their development to today, where we are consciously enabling women to succeed.

There is a higher appreciation of the value that women bring to the table despite the perceived inconveniences of accommodating maternity, providing flexibility and tweaking certain policies. 

A balanced life is important for men, and women are enabling this in many ways by changing organisational policies. Also, when I started, about forty years ago, there were not a lot of role models or women that I could turn to for professional advice. Now we have a lot more women leading large corporates, being successful entrepreneurs, and also paying it forward by mentoring young women. It has created a cycle of growth for women in India today, and I already see the difference in my colleagues and even with my daughter.

How can women’s entrepreneurship change the game regarding gender equality in business?

Entrepreneurship is one sector where we can be our bosses, so the traditional corporate challenges are lower. The entrepreneurial ecosystem has also evolved in India and there is growing support for women entrepreneurs and women-led businesses.

You’ve been successfully donning many hats. What drives you when it comes to empowering yourself in evolving roles?

I think the passion to make a difference is high on the list. Also, the fear of not failing at anything I do has been a driver.

I work hard almost to the exclusion of everything else which is not a healthy way to live your life. Today, I advise women to not put their health on the back burner. We all need to live a more balanced life in conscious ways.

Drawing from your experience, what advice would you give women who’re climbing the leadership ladder?

From my experience, I would encourage women who’re climbing the leadership ladder to be proactive in asking for opportunities, rather than waiting to be noticed.

Ambition is not something to be ashamed of but ensure you ask for what you want and build a support group at work and at home to enable your growth.

Suggested reading: World Needs More Women Policymakers: Shailja Chandra, Educator And Sustainability Expert